


Two Stars Burning Bright

by robotjellyfish



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Blood and Injury, Death, M/M, THERE ARE NO HAPPY ENDINGS HERE, angst and suffering is all you get, im sorry, rating M for all the death and suffering, shance, shangst, that major character death is no joke
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-05
Updated: 2018-04-05
Packaged: 2019-04-18 22:14:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14222904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/robotjellyfish/pseuds/robotjellyfish
Summary: In the aftermath of a barren, smoke covered battle field Lance cradles an injured Shiro in his arms. The rest of the team are far away, and although he's called for help, it's unlikely they'll arrive in time. Lance knows this but he hopes, and he prays, and he lets something he's kept hidden in his heart for so long slip because if he doesn't tell Shiro now, then he may never be able to.





	Two Stars Burning Bright

**Author's Note:**

> I've been wanting to write this for a while and I needed to get it out of my system before it ruined me, so here's probably the worst, most painful and angst shance fic I will ever write. Suffer with me.

“I'm sorry. I don't feel the same way.” The words hurt to say not only because of the hole in his abdomen and the amount of blood he was losing, but because they simply weren't true. Not even a little. But how could he confess his feeling as he lay dying in Lance's arms? He couldn't leave the young man with that even if Lance had said them first.

 

Although his heart was breaking Lance smiled, a gruff bark of laughter slipping passed his dry lips.

 

Of course, Shiro didn’t feel the same way.

 

“I know, really not the time right,” he laughed again, his arm tightening around Shiro’s shoulders, holding him tight, his other hand pressed against the hole in Shiro’s abdomen, trying in vain to stem the flow of blood.

 

His hand was already dyed red.

 

The ground was cold and hard beneath his legs. The paladin armour didn't help either, digging into his knees uncomfortably, but Lance held Shiro as best he could, pressing down on the wound with all his strength while praying for a miracle.

 

Shiro smiled weakly. It was an apologetic smile with a hint of pity and Lance hated himself for causing it. All because he'd allowed something so stupid slip.

 

“Don't worry about it. I mean an amazing guy like you must already have someone. I should know better.” Lance licked his lips and swallowed around the lump forming in his throat.

 

“Tell me about them, please,” he begged tears gathering in the corners of his eyes. Normally Lance was never at a loss for words, but now he couldn't think of anything else to talk about, and he had to keep Shiro conscious. If he could just do that until help arrived, then maybe...

 

Shiro couldn't refuse him. Not when Lance looked at him like that. It wasn't too late. He could take it back and tell the truth. But Shiro was no fool, he knew Lance would grieve, as a friend and as a teammate, but if Shiro told him how he really felt now, then it would leave Lance with more pain than he should ever have to endure.

 

Now that Shiro knew how Lance felt, he could spare him the pain of getting over him at least by rejecting him from the start.

 

“There is someone,” he answered truthfully, his voice strained and weak, “but he doesn't know how I feel.”

 

Shiro watched Lance's eyes widen, and saw a multitude of emotions reflected in his deep blue eyes. Ah, perhaps he shouldn't have said that. Now Lance would grieve for the love he'd never be able to confess.

 

“Is it Keith? If you hold on just a little longer, you'll be able to see him again, and when you do, I'm gonna smack you around the head and make you confess. You two look good together,” Lance’s voice cracked, a sob that he only just managed to swallow shuddering through his body.

 

But Lance wasn't crying for his broken heart or the fact he'd lost to Keith again. He was crying because he knew that what he just said would never happen.

 

The bleeding wouldn't stop.

 

“Not Keith,” Shiro replied, shaking his head.

 

Lance stared at him, and Shiro could see the question he was afraid to ask forming on his lips.

 

“He's beautiful and smart, and funny, and kind. He's always thinking of others,” Shiro mumbled, gazing up at the young man he was describing.

 

“Are you saying Keith's not like that?” Lance teased. He rocked back on his heels, trying to find a more comfortable position on the ground while still holding Shiro close.

 

Shiro flinched, a harsh gasp leaving his lips at the sudden movement.

 

“Sorry,” Lance winced.

 

Shiro shook his head again and smiled weakly.

 

“Keith is different. Good, but different,” he mumbled his words slurring together.

 

Lance nodded to show he understood.

 

“This guy, he can make people laugh and ease their worries. He always knows the right thing to say, and he knows when people need cheering up.” Shiro's vision was getting blurry making it hard to focus on Lance, but if he concentrated on those bright, blue eyes, then he could still see Lance.

 

Lance was the only thing he could see.

 

“He makes everyone around him happy, but he doesn't believe in himself even though he's so wonderful,” Shiro muttered mournfully.

 

“He sounds like a great guy,” Lance smiled, and Shiro wished Lance could say such kind words about himself so easily.

 

“I’ll tell him for you, how you feel. I’ll-"

 

“No,” Shiro croaked the small but urgent sound cutting off Lance’s words.

 

“I don't want him to waste his life grieving over me,” Shiro wheezed. It was getting harder now, every word was a struggle, and every breath felt like his last.

 

He lifted a trembling hand and placed it lightly against Lance's cheek. His skin felt chilled, although maybe it was just Shiro's hand that was cold. It was hard to tell.

 

“I want him to be happy. I want him to live.” Shiro rubbed his thumb against Lance’s cheek catching a few of the plump tears that spilt from his eyes, reassuringly warm.

 

“Live, Lance,” he whispered his final words a plea. His one wish. For Lance to live and be happy. He stared into those vast ocean eyes and felt himself drown for the last time.

 

Shiro's eyes went blank and glassy, and his hand slid from Lance’s cheek.

 

“Shiro?” Lance’s voice shook as he caught Shiro's hand and squeezed it in his own. The hand covered in blood. The bleeding seemed to have stopped now, so he held onto Shiro's hand instead.

 

“Please, Shiro,” he sobbed shaking the man gently hoping for a reaction, even if it was a gasp of pain.

 

There was nothing.

 

The blood on his hand was warm. He could almost fool himself into believing Shiro's hand was warm too.

 

“Shiro. I'm sorry Shiro,” Lance sobbed a shudder of pain racking through his body that he no longer had to hide. He could feel the blood pool on the floor around his legs from the wound in his side, warm and sticky.

 

“In the end, I couldn't do anything for you.” Lance carefully lowered Shiro's hand and rested it on the man's chest. He then lifted his hand to Shiro's face, closing the sightless eyes. He couldn't bear to look at them any more. He wished he could have lived, at least to find the person Shiro loved, so he could be sure he was ok, that he was cared for. He would have to leave that to Keith now.

 

At the end there, it was almost as if Shiro was telling Lance he loved him. But no, Shiro was a friend, their leader. He was just saying that Lance should live and join the team. That was all.

 

“You know I was never one to take a hint,” he puffed out. He didn't even have the strength to laugh.

 

“But you won't have to go alone. I'll stay with you,” Lance whispered his hand cupping Shiro's cold, pale cheek.

 

Lance lowered his head and pressed his lips against Shiro's still, greying ones. There was no warm breath to great him, no returning press of lips, not even a hand against his chest pushing him away.

 

“You are my hero, you know. I'll follow you anywhere.” Lance brushed the white tuft of hair aside, accidentally drawing a streak of bright red across Shiro's forehead. There was a bloody handprint on his cheek too. So much blood everywhere.

 

Lance closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against Shiro's and held him tight. His final breaths ghosting across Shiro's lips, warming them if only for a few, brief moments.

 

“I love you,” he repeated with the last of his strength.

 

 

* * *

 

 

When the team found them, they were both cold, and it was a struggle to pull Shiro from Lance's arms so they could take both bodies back to the Castle ship.

 

Shock muted their initial grief. Hunk helped Coran and Allura to place both bodies in the castle cryo-pods. Nothing could be done to save them, but it would preserve their bodies until they could be taken home and given a proper burial.

 

Keith locked himself up in his room, and Pidge buried herself in her workroom.

 

No one could say a word.

 

* * *

 

 

Later that night Hunk was wondering the castle, unable to sleep. How could he when the castle was so cold and empty?

 

His wandering took him to the observation deck, where he found Allura gazing up at the sky. He moved to her side quietly, not wanting to startle her when she was so still, and deep in thought. She looked as if she'd been standing there for hours.

 

“Allura?” he called to her his voice low, hoarse and scratchy from crying.

 

Allura turned to him but didn't seem surprised to see him there. She'd probably heard him coming but hadn't been able to tear her gaze away from the sky above them.

 

“Hunk,” she acknowledged softly before turning her gaze back up to the stars. Hunk looked up too, wondering what had caught her attention so.

 

“Are the others…?” she trailed off.

 

“Coran's with them.” Hunk answered. The older man seemed more adept at dealing with the other two paladins silent, repressed grief. Hunk felt guilty for leaving Coran to it, but he truly had no idea how to help his friends.

 

Allura sighed and nodded. She, like Hunk, was lost at sea, with no idea how to help her friends.

 

“Those stars weren't there last night,” she breathed softly.

 

She didn't need to point them out for Hunk to know which ones she was talking about. Embedded in the inky black sky, surrounded by other twinkling stars were two bright stars, standing so close together they almost looked like one. They burned with such brilliance that they stole the attention from all around them.

 

Hunk drew in a gasp and choked on a sob. He turned to Allura wrapping an arm around her small, trembling shoulders. She had always stood so tall and strong, and indomitable force that would never break. Now, as he drew her into his chest and her tears landed on his shirt, she felt incredibly small and frail. Allura cried silently, she didn't sob, and her shoulders barely shook, but Hunk felt every ounce of her grief.

 

He held her tight, wrapping both arms around her as he gazed up at the twin stars in the sky, his eyes watering and his vision blurring.

 

At the very least, in the end, they were together.

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> I've gone over and edited this as best I can, but i honestly no longer have the heart to read it again, I hurt myself. Please let me know what you think of this fic. And once again, I'm sorry.


End file.
